Andy Roxburgh

Research Student @ University Of Liverpool

Short Bio

Welcome to my web site. I am a PhD student in
the field of machine learning and language development at the Department of Computer
Science, University of Liverpool.

I have a BEng and MEng in Electronic Engineering from the University of Warwick
(1998)
and have since worked as an embedded and desktop software engineer in various
sectors, including automotive research and development, motorsport, medical, web,
GIS, advertising and others.

After working in the corporate sector for a number of years I decided that I wanted
to change direction a bit and work on something that could positively affect
people's lives.
This led me to the University of Liverpool and development work on a tool for
identifying delays in children's language development.

Not long after this my son was diagnosed with a condition that puts him
on the Autistic spectrum, with quite severe communication difficulties (he can't
talk, for instance).
My unplanned sudden immersion into the world of Autistic Spectrum Disorder,
disabilities and special needs
has been quite an eye-opener and one thing that became clear to me was the limited
amount of knowledge and advice for parents about helping children with communication problems. Autism
prevalence is increasing globally and yet there is still a notable lack of effective
tools, advice and research relating to improving language and communication
development of affected individuals. This is partly because the ‘spectrum’ is so
wide and the symptoms are so variable. But I believe technology is the key and I
want to be part of the solution.

My current interests are in machine learning, mobile and web applications, and
language development. Click on 'My Research' to find out more about my PhD work.